"I would read a lot and follow influencers in the space you are interested in and observe how they are pivoting and evolving."
Arati Misro Brings 20 years of experience in the Entertainment, Tech, Education & lifestyle business from a global perspective. Her expertise includes Feature films, TV, Culinary, Wine product sales & startups. She thrives on recognizing & prioritizing short and long-term goals to greenlight a show or scale a business from a holistic approach. Passionate about developing a good story with writers and envisioning our characters who bring authenticity to voice.
Arati’s love of Entertainment is producing from script to screen or stream. Her experience in foreign and domestic sales allows her to have a mindset of a businesswoman while having a strong sensitivity to good storytelling.
She thrives on leadership and self-development to do and be better. Her experience chairing Women in Film International has allowed her to home in on her passion for mentoring and giving voice to countless women worldwide who strive to pursue their goals. Chairing is one of her most meaningful accomplishments. She has programmed and produced multiple events for the Los Angeles film community and was recognized by President Obama.
She thrives on being a part of building a vision via startups. Project Management, Operations, and business strategy are skills she learned that cross over from Producing Film & TV. She loves working in collaborative environments & connecting the dots between art, commerce, education & technology with leaders. She founded a podcast and women’s platform called EkWomen, also has developed an animation IP for children in developing countries. She was a juror for the Asian World festival and various international Film Festivals in Los Angeles.
Arati is currently pursuing an MBA with a focus on Entrepreneurship and Finance. She holds an MFA in Producing from the prestigious American Film Inst.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Arati Misro: I am very fascinated with how we care about learning and consuming information and Entertainment. I have been working on Club Gaia since the beginning of the pandemic with a Veteran in animation. We wanted to do something for kids and had been bouncing ideas off of another since Cannes 2015, where we met. I am very passionate about sharing information to better the lives of others, hence I embarked on my journey as a filmmaker and now Tech founder in Entertainment. I am interested in creating sustainable business models for all walks of life in content and story. ITs all possible now. Club Gaia is a platform that will create content that is relatable and authentic to kids in the south asia and south east asian region of the world, we aspire to go global with our content and our distribution in due time.
2020 and 2021 threw a lot of curve balls into business on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past couple years, how can businesses thrive in 2022? What lessons have you learned?
Arati Misro: I have learned in order to thrive, you have to have the proper mindset to do this. You have to think about what are going to be the needs of others and how can I be a part of the solution. I was working in theatrical distribution and pivoted, learned new skills in new media which is actually the space I was interested in prior to the pandemic because of my experiences with working for mobile start ups which I could do remotely as well.
The pandemic seems to keep on disrupting the economy, what should businesses focus on in 2022? What advice would you share?
Arati Misro: I would read a lot and follow influencers in the space you are interested in and observe how they are pivoting and evolving. I would also read about what companies are thriving and why. How are they evolving and what companies fail and why. I also follow stocks and try to evaluate patterns and trends I see. Where is the need? That’s always something I keep in mind.
How has the pandemic changed your industry and how have you adapted?
Arati Misro: The Pandemic destroyed the Entertainment Industry and I am happy to see things are ramping up again. I luckily was able to find word after being furloughed and my passions and vision was magnified because of the pandemic!
What advice do you wish you received when the pandemic started and what do you intend on improving in 2022?
Arati Misro: I think the pandmeic taught us how resilient we truly are. I think the ongoing advice I wish I had ALWAYS received was to never be fearful. You can be cautious but not fearful.
Online business surged higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for 2022?
Arati Misro: We are looking forward to rolling out our content and securing our angel funding. We will do a robust marketing plan. That’s where our funds will go. I am looking forward to sharing our content in hopes it inspires and gives children and adults hope. We need more positive content worldwide.
How many hours a day do you spend in front of a screen?
Arati Misro: I try not to spend more than 7-8 hours in front of a screen. I try to do my best to unplug after a certain time but it get tricky if you are working with international teams.
The majority of executives use stories to persuade and communicate in the workplace. Can you share with our readers examples of how you implement that in your business to communicate effectively with your team?
Arati Misro: I love this question! Since I have devoted most of my career to the craft and business of storytelling. Story is what makes knowledge and experience real and tangible. I always share stories about how I overcame a challenge or obstacle at work or a story about my ancestors to bring in some wisdom – its always good to have context to your every day life.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as the real challenge right now?
Arati Misro: We have created a hybrid business model. It’s disrupting how we learn and disrupting business models in animation. The challenge is convincing investors that we can pull this off. We have a very strong management team and we see the need. We see the holes in the industry we work in.
In 2022, what are you most interested in learning about? Crypto, NFTs, online marketing, or any other skill sets? Please share your motivations.
Arati Misro: I think NFTs are exciting and we are implementing this to our model and with our characters. Its a great time for artists right now to monetize.
A record 4.4 million Americans left their jobs in September in 2021, accelerating a trend that has become known as the Great Resignation. 47% of people plan to leave their job during 2022. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. Do you think leaders see the data and think “that’s not me – I’m not that boss they don’t want to work for? What changes do you think need to happen?
Arati Misro: I think there needs to be change in corporate america and company eco-systems overall with having true leadership which includes compassion and empathy. There needs to be less greed. The distribution of wealth in the U.S needs to change. I have an abundance mindset. There is enough for everyone at the end of the day.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Arati Misro: Great question! To see the future. Not to forecast or predict it but to see it and come back to the present time. I would love to be invisible too.
What does “success” in 2022 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Arati Misro: Means to just continue doing what I love in a more impactful way and to thrive while doing it.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Arati Misro for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Arati Misro or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.
